NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free is set to leave the agency at the end of the week, amid uncertainty about potential job cuts. In a statement announced on February 19, Free will retire effective February 22, bringing an end to his 30-year NASA career.
Free previously served as director of the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and was appointed associate administrator for exploration systems development in 2021. He had been expected to become acting administrator when Bill Nelson and Pam Melroy stepped down at the end of the Biden administration.
However, the White House unexpectedly selected Janet Petro, director of the Kennedy Space Center, as acting administrator instead. Speculation suggests that Free was considered too much of an advocate for the current Artemis lunar exploration architecture, which is under review by the administration.
Despite this, NASA announced that it had avoided major layoffs, with the projected firings of probationary civil-service employees remaining on hold. At least 750 NASA employees signed up for a buyout program, and some probationary employees will go on administrative leave by the end of the week.
The decision to appoint Free as acting administrator was reportedly taken despite his vocal opposition to revising the Artemis architecture in a speech before the election. Free had urged the next administration not to make major changes, citing the importance of consistency in purpose and warning that losing this focus could lead to fragmentation within the agency.
Free’s departure comes as NASA continues to navigate uncertainty about its future plans, including the potential for job cuts and revisions to its exploration architecture.
Source: https://spacenews.com/jim-free-nasa-associate-administrator-to-retire